Representation Thomas Jefferson was not in the United States at the time of the Constitution's ratification, so therefore he was not representative of any state.
Occupation and Background Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 on a plantation in Virginia to the wife of a colonel, planter, and public official. He attended the College of William and Mary and became a lawyer practicing in Virginia. He was a member of the House of Burgesses, the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, the governor of Virginia, and a member of the Continental Congress all before he became the United States Minister to France. He was minister from 1785-1789, including the year when the constitution was written and ratified. He was overseas to negotiate commercial treaties and to serve as a successor to Benjamin Franklin, which is why he was not present at the Constitutional Convention.
Constitutional Convention Thomas Jefferson was in France during the Constitutional Convention. Though he was complimentary of the delegates and called them “an assembly of demigods,” he was not present among them. He did, however, correspond with James Madison and others throughout the event.
State’s Ratifying Convention Thomas Jefferson was not a member of the State’s Ratifying Convention.
Constitutional Arguments Thomas Jefferson was a fierce believer in the rights of the states, and was strongly opposed to a strong central government. He felt that the constitution needed to have a Bill of Rights that included freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the protection of habeas corpus. Additionally, he argued that the constitution needed to include term limits on a presidency. He also thought that the constitution should be re-written every 19 years, so that new generations would not have to abide by the wishes and ideals of the dead. He thought that the other members of congress had overreacted to Shay’s rebellion; as it was his belief that rebellions were good and necessary. Coming from Virginia, he had been around agriculture his whole life and promoted an agrarian society that was primarily controlled by the people. He strongly disagreed with Alexander Hamilton, who believed that a strong central government was needed to govern a growing industrial society. Jefferson’s views also clashed with the views of John Adams, who like Hamilton, was a Federalist in favor of a strong central government. He would have been more agreeable to the views of anti-federalists like Patrick Henry, Mercy Otis Warren, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee.
Works Cited
DeGregorio, William A.. The complete book of U.S. presidents. New York: Dembner Books :, 1984. Print.
Lynch, Jack. "One of the most intriguing might-have-beens in American History : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site." Home page of History.org : The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's official History and Citizenship site. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. <http://www.history.org/foundation/journal>
"A Little Rebellion Now and Then Is A Good Thing." Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material from 18th Century American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/sum
Position: Anti-Federalist
Representation
Thomas Jefferson was not in the United States at the time of the Constitution's ratification, so therefore he was not representative of any state.
Occupation and Background
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 on a plantation in Virginia to the wife of a colonel, planter, and public official. He attended the College of William and Mary and became a lawyer practicing in Virginia. He was a member of the House of Burgesses, the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, the governor of Virginia, and a member of the Continental Congress all before he became the United States Minister to France. He was minister from 1785-1789, including the year when the constitution was written and ratified. He was overseas to negotiate commercial treaties and to serve as a successor to Benjamin Franklin, which is why he was not present at the Constitutional Convention.
Constitutional Convention
Thomas Jefferson was in France during the Constitutional Convention. Though he was complimentary of the delegates and called them “an assembly of demigods,” he was not present among them. He did, however, correspond with James Madison and others throughout the event.
State’s Ratifying Convention
Thomas Jefferson was not a member of the State’s Ratifying Convention.
Constitutional Arguments
Thomas Jefferson was a fierce believer in the rights of the states, and was strongly opposed to a strong central government. He felt that the constitution needed to have a Bill of Rights that included freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the protection of habeas corpus. Additionally, he argued that the constitution needed to include term limits on a presidency. He also thought that the constitution should be re-written every 19 years, so that new generations would not have to abide by the wishes and ideals of the dead. He thought that the other members of congress had overreacted to Shay’s rebellion; as it was his belief that rebellions were good and necessary.
Coming from Virginia, he had been around agriculture his whole life and promoted an agrarian society that was primarily controlled by the people. He strongly disagreed with Alexander Hamilton, who believed that a strong central government was needed to govern a growing industrial society. Jefferson’s views also clashed with the views of John Adams, who like Hamilton, was a Federalist in favor of a strong central government. He would have been more agreeable to the views of anti-federalists like Patrick Henry, Mercy Otis Warren, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee.
Works Cited
DeGregorio, William A.. The complete book of U.S. presidents. New York: Dembner Books :, 1984. Print.
Lynch, Jack. "One of the most intriguing might-have-beens in American History : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site." Home page of History.org : The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's official History and Citizenship site. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. <http://www.history.org/foundation/journal>
"A Little Rebellion Now and Then Is A Good Thing." Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material from 18th Century American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/sum